Buying Decision #1 For Your Customer

Good morning everyone,

Last week we talked about how sales people tend to get introductions out of the way and then jump straight into selling their product or service.  These same sales prople have not proven themselves reliable, or trustworthy to the customer, but yet these sales people believe they can sell the customer what they need.

The first buying decision is the longest and hardest to complete.  Mainly because there is so much decision making that happens in this buying decision before anything can move forward for the customer.  The customer has to know, like, and trust us before they will ever buy from us.  Do you think that right after someone gets your name and starts selling you something that they have these qualities?  Do you think they really care about your needs?

We as sales professionals need to make sure we are answering these three questions for the customer as soon as possible:

Do I like you?

Do I trust you?

How can you help me?

If we jump straight into selling mode after we get their name the customer will be turned off.  Ever wonder why when asked what brings you in to this store today the customer says something like this, “Just looking.”  It’s because the customer has been trained to think that sales people are all the same and all the sales person cares about is selling their product or service.

Let’s change that perception.

Let’s start by using a plan on how we will approach the customer in a way that builds likeability and trust right out of the get go.  Let’s start with making sure when we approach the customer we are not circling like hungry vultures.   Let’s let the customer come into our facilities and let them get comfortable by smiling and saying “Hi, welcome.  We are here to help you when you are ready.”  Smiling, wearing the right colors that psychologically reflect trust, honesty and lowers anxiety.  Not power ties, not blacks, not dark greys, but light blues whites, and some greens to ease the customer into lowering their defenses.

Science has shown that depending on the environment (noise levels, smells, colors, lighting, etc) the customer can actually become more engaged, or withdrawn.  Next time you walk into a department store check out the different areas of the store and notice the lighting, colors, music playing, and scents pumped into each area.  This helps to ease the customer’s anxiety about being attacked by sales people and allows them to answer “Do I like you” in a relaxed state.

What will you be wearing the next time you show up to work?  Will you be paying attention to the customer and welcoming them, or will you be going in for the kill to make a sale?  Make sure to be attentive to the customer and allow them to like you.

Answering Do I trust you and How can you help me is also needed in the first buying decision. We need to build that trust as well as show the customer that we will work to help them meet their needs.  There is a great deal in these two questions so we will have to save that for next week as to how we will do this, but for today think about asking questions to the customer.  Next week we will help you structure those questions.

Click on the picture below for my Udemy training on the five buying decisions so you can get a jump on the rest of the people reading my blog posts!

Sincerely,

Kevin Sidebottom

“Businesses wonder why the majority of their sales teams struggle at winning profitable business.  I teach your sales team to walk with the customer through the five buying decisions, and in the correct order to generate more sales with high margins!

www.kevinsidebottom.com

Ready, Set, Stop Jumping Into Your Pitch

Customers buy to satisfy needs, not features and benefits.  It’s a simple concept, but hard to practice sometimes.

When I train sales professionals, I have to make sure that I highlight this fact each time I start the training.  We as sales professionals need to stop launching right into a sales pitch too early. 

Too many sales people get through the introductions and then jump into pitching their products or service.  They use the shotgun blast approach and hope somethings sticks to where the customer will leap towards them with a hug saying thank you for answering all my worries.  Unfortunately, the customer is actually put off by this practice of selling.   Then the customers immediately decide they are not going to buy from this salesperson. 

Meanwhile the salesperson is still shooting off more and more benefits and features while the customer is thinking…“How do I get out of here?”

Most customers will wait for the presentation to end and then thank the sales person for their time before making a way to the exit as fast as possible.  People want to feel heard and understood.  Too many times sales people leap into action and sell something because we are looking for that next kill.  Most sales people think of sales just like hunting for something. 

I started selling like this, but quickly learned that sales is actually like farming.  We start small and grow our influence with the customer over time.  We as sales professionals are not all knowing and understanding of the customer’s needs.  We need to stop ourselves and ask questions, a great deal of questions.  This starts building influence with the customer because we are showing that we care.  We need the customer to buy off on us before they will ever think about buying our product or service.  Here’s another point that I need to make, the larger the sale, the longer it takes to understand the customer’s needs.

I have structured multi-million, multi-year contracts and every one of these deals took years to come together.  Not one of these customers has ever stopped on my doorstep and said please help me, I need you to sell me your product without growing the influence with them first.  I had to grow influence before they would look at me as an option to help them with their larger investments.  They gave me opportunities for smaller deals and then as they grew to trust me and trust that I understood them well enough they gave me larger opportunities.  Apple has done a great job of getting people to line up for their new products, but back when they started, hardly anyone wanted their products.  It took years of the correct leadership, marketing, and sales strategies to get to where they are today.

Each day there are new strategies on how to sell to a new sophisticated type of customer, but most of these new sales strategies are trying to do the same drill of growing influence with the customer.  Shortcuts may work for the short term, but long term they fizzle out and influence erodes.  I have used the same process for well over a decade to sell to different industries, and in different parts of the world.  It’s a simple process and it helps the sales professionals walk through the customer’s five buying decisions that they must answer before they will purchase our products or services. 

We have to meet the customer’s needs and then we will be rewarded with their business and grow influence with them.

Have a great weekend.

Sincerely,

Kevin Sidebottom

“Businesses wonder why the majority of their sales teams struggle at winning profitable business.  I teach your sales team to walk with the customer through the five buying decisions, and in the correct order to generate more sales with high margins!”

www.kevinsidebottom.com

Rapport Is The Building Block For Influence

I was reflecting the other day on building rapport with others which is essential in building influence with others.  Building rapport is especially important during this time with the pandemic keeping all of us separated. 

Whether we are a coach, meeting with a client, or are taking part in an interview we need to be able to build rapport quickly. We form our first impressions of others in less than 60 seconds. These two questions “Do I like you? and Do I trust you?,” are answered in that 60 seconds.  If you want influence, then you need to be able to build rapport.

People also associate with others that they know, like, and trust.  I have even heard of people being hired because they were more relatable even though they were not the most qualified.  Isn’t that interesting.  Rapport building is an essential skill to have if we are going to interact with other people.

So how do we build rapport?

Here are four ways that I build rapport with others:

Be Helpful

Be willing to help them with whatever they need help with.  Go the extra mile to help others even when we think we have done enough.  One step further...  It could be helping a child with an assignment on the football field going through the play with them one on one and then helping them step through the steps in that process.  It could be jumping in to help unload something that the person we are meeting with is trying to unload from a truck without trying to get something from them in return.  It could also be helping sweep up a mess that has happened for the customer while they are trying to fill an order, or sending follow up note to the person that the task was completed for them by your organization.  Being genuine and helpful will go a long way at building rapport with people.

Be Intentional

By being intentional I mean really look to find common ground with those people we are interacting with.  This can be researching them on social media such as Linkedin, Facebook, local associations they are affiliated with, google etc.  Being intentional to learn about those people and their interests are very impactful.  Not just to gain a sale, but to be intentionally curious about them and hear them. 

Be Respectful

People want to feel valued and that they are important.  Why not make them feel that way?  Let them know that we have their back and are willing to do the work with them.  Call them sir or ma’am when they are older than us is a good way to show respect.  Using their name (sweetest sound to any person is their own name), using our manners, asking them questions.  By being respectful we are showing respect and who doesn’t like some R.E.S.P.E.C.T.?

Be Enthusiastic

Show some enthusiasm with the person we are talking to.  Use humor, make them feel comfortable, and lower the tension.  People that smile and make people laugh are far more enjoyable.  These people build rapport more so than someone who walks around like the Winnie the Pooh character Eeyore that moped around and never showed excitement.  People like to be around light hearted and fun people.  Show some enthusiasm and energy.  People gravitate towards others that are full of energy.

There you have it, think of H.I.R.E. when you are looking to build rapport.  Focus on others and help them get to where they way to go, be respectful and be enthusiastic in order to build rapport.  We want the person to like us so much that they can’t think of anyone else they would rather talk to for our subject matter.

If you are interested in building more influence click the image below and you will be taken to my course. I will guide you in the principals on how to answer the three questions that everyone asks at each interaction.

Have a great weekend.

Sincerely,

Kevin Sidebottom

“Businesses wonder why the majority of their sales teams struggle at winning profitable business.  I teach your sales team to walk with the customer through the five buying decisions, and in the correct order to generate more sales with high margins!”

www.kevinsidebottom.com

Proximity, How It Will Help You Win with Customers

Have you ever noticed how you react when you are in a crowded space in comparison to walking in a nearly empty mall? 

Have you ever felt uncomfortable with others crowding your space?

There is this principal that depending how close you are to others the more trust is needed.  It is called Proximecs.  This principal basically defines why at different proximity with others we need different levels of trust.  The closer we are to another person the more trust we must have, or we will become uneasy.  There is a reason why stadiums sell out so easily for sporting events, coffee shops have people littered all over working on their Macbooks, and why people will wait for hours on hot summer days in lines for the best roller coasters striking up conversations with strangers.

 The distances breakdown like this:

Public Distance – 12.1’ +

Social Distance – 4.1’- 12’

Personal Distance 1.6’- 4’

Intimate Distance < 1.5’

The most fun and engaging interactions in our lives occur in social and personal distances.  The closer we get to others the more powerful the emotion can be shared during thrilling experiences.  Ever had an experience at a sporting event where you were slapping hands with some unknown individuals celebrating a score seemingly without thought about if they washed their hands or not?  We are wired to have more emotional significance to others we are in close proximity to.  Our bodies actually crave this connection to be understood and these interactions are a way to make that connection.

When working with customers it is extremely hard for us to get in front of them with emails, literature, billboards, etc.  We need to get in touch with them on a closer level.  This means sales professionals need to be in front of customers often.  This is also why deeper relationships are made outside of the office i.e. golfing, sporting events, hands on training, etc.  There isn’t a barrier between us and the customer like that of a desk, or board room table.  Their guard is lowered and in most cases are more willing to share more details that will enable you to help serve them. 

Now that we are in close proximities with the customer and trust is psychologically given as we are in close proximity, deeper discussions can happen and relationships formed.  Have you ever had a customer out at lunch share some deep dark secret about the organization just to vent?

Work at meeting with the customer if you want to gain more business with your customers. 

Warning!

Keep in mind that the intimate level should be those you should be giving intimate affection to like that of family and spouses.  Doing that with customers is just awkward outside of a casual hug when a bond has been made to wish each other well before, or after a meeting.

P.S. the picture associated with this blog will help you understand visually the distances a little better.

Have a great week!

Sincerely,

Kevin Sidebottom

www.kevinsidebottom.com